Side by Side
by iCalvino
Summary: Set at the end of "Both Sides Now," Cuddy drives House to get treatment, but they end up in a serious car accident that forces them together on a different plane of existence. Huddy.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer for the story: I do not own these characters.

The idea of this story came to me in a flash. I wanted to experiment with the idea of another dimension, another plane of existence, for House and Cuddy to continue to explore what has been unearthed in Season 5. This story is set at the very end of "Both Sides Now" and includes spoilers. If you think the story is worth continuing, let me know.

* * *

They drove in silence.

The sound of raindrops hitting the windshield was almost deafening.

As the rain fell harder, creating a sheet of blurriness against the glass, Cuddy switched the wiper settings and sighed. For a brief moment, she turned to look at House, whose eyes were coated with a thin film of tears. The look of devastation and horror that had overtaken his face earlier in the afternoon had changed to one of profound sadness.

Cuddy sighed and rubbed her left shoulder. The friction of her hand against the carmine fabric caused her mind to flashback to her office, where only a few hours ago House had clung on to her shoulder as he quietly said, "No, I am not okay."

Her heart felt heavy with grief.

"We're halfway there." She broke the silence. "Wilson knows some of the staff at this hospital, and he has assured me that you will be in great hands."

House did not respond.

"He will see you there tonight. I'm going to talk to the director of the facility and make sure that your detox is carefully monitored. I'm also going to see if he can send me daily progress reports, if you consent to the release of information."

House nodded slowly.

He tried to focus on the road, on Cuddy's words. But he could not ignore Amber in the backseat.

"So, your make-believe girlfriend cares about you after all. How sad is it that your story could have been true if you hadn't been a coward before," Amber said tauntingly. She leaned forward to speak more directly in his ear. "Look at her. She's missing out on the wedding to drive you to the loony bin. She definitely has the hots for you."

Amber sat back and chuckled menacingly. House squeezed his eyes shut and threw his head back against the headrest.

Cuddy turned to look at him again and put her hand on his arm. "House, what's wrong? Are you in pain? Talk to me. Maybe it will distract you …"

A pickup truck honked furiously at Cuddy as she entered the intersection. She slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The truck collided with the backseat of her car, causing it to spin on the slick road. Before the car could come to a stop, an oncoming SUV came barreling from the opposite direction and …

* * *

"Caucasian man and Caucasian woman, status post motor vehicle accident, found unresponsive in the field." The paramedic was speaking quickly to the Princeton-Plainsboro ER team as they wheeled House and Cuddy towards the trauma bay. "The man has a heart rate of 120, GCS of 3, and multiple contusions and lacerations on his trunk. He has lost a lot of blood. The woman has a heart rate of 110, GCS of 3, and a large flank contusion as well as minor lacerations."

The attending physician nodded. "Let's get 6 units of O negative on board." His eyes quickly widened when he recognized the patients. "Jesus Christ! Linda, page Dr. Foreman and tell him that Dr. Cuddy and Dr. House are down here. Alright people, start the large-bore IV's, pump them with saline. Chris, emergent ultrasound to check for internal bleeding …"

* * *

House opened his eyes. He was sitting in a living room. Confusion swept over him as he attempted to get his bearings.

From his seat on the beige fabric couch, he could see two beige fabric sofa seats, white throw pillows, a white coffee table, and a white bookshelf decorated with white vases and other white home accents. Off to the side of the social space was a queen-sized bed, also decorated in white and neutral tones. On a wall shelf over the bed sat a vase of white roses. Soft lighting from the lamps around the room cast a golden glow across the walls and the furniture.

"Where are we?"

House turned around at the sound of Cuddy's voice.

"I don't recognize this place," she added.

"Neither do I," House replied quietly. His eyes glistened with tears as he quickly realized that he was far from reality. He looked around the entire room to see if Amber had followed him here. She was absent from the room.

Cuddy walked around the room, touching the sofa seats and running her hand along the bed. House watched her as she moved. He noticed that they both were dressed in white chenille robes.

"I think my brain is telling me that I need a vacation," House said.

"Why do you think that?"

"This isn't real. I've been hallucinating for days. I hallucinated having sex with you." House stopped and hung his head. Cuddy's face softened. "And now," he paused again, inhaling sharply, "And now, I am hallucinating that I am at a resort, wearing a robe. I've been exhausted, and this is my brain's way of telling me it needs to shut down."

"Some resort … this place doesn't have windows."

"Another sign this isn't real."

Cuddy joined House on the couch.

"The last thing I remember is driving you to the psych facility. You looked like you were in pain, and I tried talking to you. I must have run a red light … we got hit by a truck and spun out of control." Cuddy began to panic. "House, do you think we are dead?"

"If we were dead, we wouldn't be here in this room. There would be no neurons firing in my brain; therefore, I would not be dreaming this, or hallucinating this."

"I am not a figment of your imagination. I am here just as much as you are."

"Okay, if I am dreaming this, you would be untying your robe right now." House looked at Cuddy, who shot him a disapproving look.

"House, this is not a time for jokes. We don't even know if we're alive."

"I know that I'm alive, but I don't know that you are."

"Maybe we're in purgatory," she muttered.

"There is no such thing. There is no afterlife, and because there is no afterlife there is no place to cleanse the soul. When we die, we see nothing. We feel nothing."

"I know you're an atheist, House, but what if you're wrong?"

"I am never …" He paused and shut his eyes in humiliation as he thought back to his most recent cases.

Cuddy placed her hand on his back, instantly regretting her question. A tingle shot down House's spine. He inhaled deeply.

"That feels real, " he whispered.

Cuddy's hand began stroking his cheek. She ran a finger across his stubble. "So does this."

"Our lovemaking felt so real too, but it wasn't." House shook his head. "I don't know what's going on. Maybe I'm already at the facility and am under hypnosis."

House got up and walked to a wall and began hitting it. "Hey! Hey you people! Can you hear me? You can bring me out of hypnosis now! I want to come back!"

Cuddy flinched at House's yelling. "House! Stop!"

House walked back to the couch.

"You're not limping. Are you pain-free?"

House nodded and rubbed his right thigh. The scar was still there.

"You can't be real, Cuddy. This doesn't make any sense."

"I AM real. Maybe you're not real, but I know I am here in this bizarre room." She shook her head.

House looked at Cuddy and narrowed his eyes.

"This is different. Usually when I have a hallucination, Amber never denies that she isn't real. She's almost like an inner voice of reason rather than a separate entity. An evil voice, but a part of me nonetheless. You are a separate entity. I challenge your existence, yet you never concede that you're not real. You're not really inside my head."

Cuddy raised her eyebrows. "Okay … I'm glad we cleared that up," she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

House looked at her in disbelief. "I'm agreeing with you, and you're not happy about it?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Am I ever happy about anything you say?"

House inhaled through his teeth. "Nope. I thought you would have been happy to hear me ask you to move in with me." He spoke without any anger or resentment in his voice.

She laughed in return. This time, the laugh wasn't one out of angry shock; rather, it was gentle laugh. "Oddly enough, I think you got your wish. We are co-habitating in this room."

"Indeed we are," House said cheerily but with a hint of irreverence. A small smile formed on his lips.

A few moments of silence passed. "I actually feel like I'm fading. Take a nap with me," House said as he extended his hand to Cuddy, who squeezed it.

"I'm not tired," she responded.

House looked disappointed. He walked to the bed alone. Not seeing any books or a TV to occupy her time, Cuddy sighed and walked towards the bed. House climbed on top of it and collapsed. She followed suit.

House felt a surge of happiness when he felt her plop down next to him. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his right arm around her waist as he looked into her eyes. "I'm glad you're here with me. "

"I think you would have also enjoyed being trapped in a room with Wilson," Cuddy teased.

"Wilson isn't as easy on the eyes as you are," House said sleepily.

Cuddy smiled and watched him drift off.

* * *

"He's in bradycardia! BP is also dropping. We need atropine," Foreman shouted. Thirteen pushed atropine into House's IV.

"No response, I'll get the pacer," Taub said.

"The surgeons sutured his lacerations, and we have tanked him up with fluids and blood. His BP shouldn't be dropping," Thirteen said.

"His hypotension is from the bradycardia. I think he may have some neural damage," Foreman said as he continued to look at the monitor. "His heart rate isn't going up. Another atropine push."

"Heart rate is climbing to 55 … 60 … 63," Taub said, relieved. He shook his head. "I can't believe all of this is happening."

"At least Cuddy is hanging in there. She's been stable since the pericardiocentesis," Foreman replied, looking at an unconscious Cuddy in the neighboring ICU bed.

"Okay, House's heart rate is now stabilizing around 70. Maybe we should MRI his spine and brain if he remains stable," Thirteen offered.

Foreman nodded his head. "Let's do a stat CT for now to look for gross lesions …"

* * *

House opened his eyes to the sight of Cuddy with an amused expression on her face. She was stroking his hair.

"You didn't nap for that long."

"Were you watching me sleep the entire time?"

"There's nothing else to do around here."

"Creepy, but I like it."

Cuddy gave him a playful shove and turned on to her back. She looked up at the ceiling. House buried his face in her shoulder and inhaled her scent. Clean citrus with a hint of spice, mixed in with the natural sweetness of her own essence. He smiled at the familiarity of the scent that he had grown to love over the years.

Cuddy ran her hand along House's shoulder and down his arm. He then grabbed her waist and turned her so that she was facing him again. He looked at her longingly.

"You want to kiss me, don't you?" Cuddy asked softly.

House flinched slightly at her words, not believing he was hearing them for a second time. He rationalized that he couldn't get hurt in this room, which he was not mistaking for real life. Not knowing how things would go or if she actually wanted him, he spoke softly and hesitantly. "I always want to kiss you."

Cuddy smiled seductively. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"After everything that has happened over the past two days, you wouldn't want to kiss me. But since we're not in reality anyway …"

"House, I believe we are in this room for a reason. We haven't been on the same page since we kissed. Then today, we had the ultimate mis-communication. I just …" Cuddy looked down at House's chest.

"You just … what?"

"I just think we're here for a reason. Maybe the car accident was meant to be."

"Nothing is meant to be. There is no order to the universe …"

"Oh don't get on your atheist soapbox again."

"Stop trying to attach meaning to this room. It's not like you're religious anyway."

"I'm not staunchly atheist either. You can't avoid attaching meaning to a bizarre experience that happens to occur right after a life-or-death event. We are in this room together, House, just the two of us. We almost died today …"

"Almost dying changes nothing."

"Why won't you admit this means something?"

House looked into Cuddy's eyes, which were filled with frustration. "I don't know."

Cuddy sighed and sat up. She rubbed her arms and looked at the wall. House sat up too. He deliberated with himself on what he would say next. Shifting awkwardly, he felt a surge of impatience and desire. He decided to break the silence.

"Cuddy."

"What."

House took her head in his hands and planted a soft kiss on her lips. He let his mouth hover near hers as he waited for her cue.

She brought her hands to his face and held it for a few seconds. She then began kissing him passionately, forcing his lips open so that her tongue could slip in. House growled at her passion and pushed her down on to the bed. He climbed on top of her and continued to have his tongue duel with hers. She untied his robe and slid it off of his body. He returned the favor. He broke their kiss and began leaving a trail of butterfly kisses from her neck down to her belly, causing her to giggle softly. He then brought his mouth to her right nipple and began licking and sucking on it.

* * *

"Okay … so ten minutes ago his heart rate was slow. Now his heart rate is going up. It's 102 right now," Taub said, slightly confused.

"Maybe we pushed too much atropine," Thirteen said.

"Look, Cuddy's heart rate is going up too. It's at 105," Foreman remarked. "BP is normal and stable for both of them, so they're not losing more blood. What is going on?"

"I don't know. We never understood these two," Taub joked.


	2. Chapter 2

Since it seems like people are interested in the story, I shall continue with it!

To answer Hughlaurie4ever's question: Yes, both House and Cuddy are actively present in the room. They are connected in spirit and not imagining each other, although it took a little while for them to figure that out. I definitely did not want to create more hallucinations after the finale. :)

* * *

House released Cuddy's nipple from his mouth and grinned. She grabbed his head and shoved it towards her other breast.

"Are we doing the boss / employee role-playing now?" House asked against the soft curve of her breast before he kissed it.

"What?" Cuddy asked slightly breathless.

"I'm not complaining, but … ow!"

Cuddy had dug her nails into his neck as she tried to bring his mouth closer to her nipple. House complied with her wish and began tracing circles around it with his tongue. When he felt her grip tighten he sucked on it, causing her to gasp in pleasure. She threw her right leg around his back, tilting her pelvis up, and let her slick folds leave a trail of hot wetness as they moved slowly down his abdomen, towards his growing erection.

House's breathing became more ragged as he felt how ready she was for him. He plunged his left index and middle fingers inside of her and began making circular motions while teasing her clit with his thumb. Cuddy let out a soft moan. He then moved his mouth back up to hers, kissing her fiercely. When he finally emerged for air, he smiled when he looked at her, lips swollen and eyes wild with desire.

He withdrew his fingers and lightly caressed her folds. Accustomed to having things her way, Cuddy grabbed House's wrist and threw her weight against his other shoulder, roughly rolling them over so that she was on top. Her left hand found his cock and she began stroking it while she sucked on his neck. House's hands roamed all over her body as her mouth traveled up to his. Giving him a smoldering grin, Cuddy guided his cock inside of her before he could protest.

House exhaled with pleasure. She began to ride him hard and fast. He was speechless at the sight of her breasts bouncing and his cock disappearing into her. His hands ran up and down the sides of her thighs until Cuddy moved one of his hands to her ass and the other to her front, showing him exactly how she wanted her clit rubbed. He was completely smitten, all over again.

* * *

Wilson walked into the ICU. "How are they?"

"House underwent surgery, and Cuddy had a pericardiocentesis. Both are obviously still intubated. Now they're in sinus tachycardia: their heart rates have been running between 110 and 120 for the past half hour. They have received plenty of fluids, and blood pressure has been normal in both," Foreman replied.

"They could have an infection," Thirteen added.

"Or they threw clots to their lungs," Taub countered.

"An infection in the brain could explain House's recent hallucinations, and maybe Cuddy got infected from being in close proximity to him," Thirteen asserted quickly.

Foreman shook his head. "They don't have fevers, and their cell counts are normal. It doesn't rule it out but …"

"Whoa, guys," Taub said with his eyes wide. "House seems a little … excited."

"What do you mean?" Foreman asked. He then followed Taub's gaze and rolled his eyes. "Okay, so House has an erection."

"An erection while having a Foley catheter in? Jeez …" Wilson said shaking his head.

Taub chuckled. "You know, if Kutner were here, he would suggest that these two are having telepathic sex."

Wilson nodded in amusement. He then said with a hint of sadness in his voice, "If Kutner were here, I don't think any of this would have happened."

Thirteen looked away from Wilson. Taub and Foreman looked down at the floor.

"We need to come up with a better explanation than telepathic sex," Wilson added.

* * *

Cuddy screamed. Her thighs and abdomen tightened as she rode out her waves of pleasure. House stabilized her hips and finished off with two more upward thrusts.

Cuddy collapsed on top of him, panting and glistening with sweat. House kissed her cheek and then her neck as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"That was incredible," he mumbled into her ear.

She laughed and nodded her head. Giving him a quick kiss on the lips, she rolled off of him and on to her back.

"Hey, where are you going?" House asked playfully.

"I need to cool off after all the work I just did," Cuddy replied teasingly. She stretched her arms over her head. House began tickling her belly, causing her to shriek and laugh. She tried to pry his hand away.

"How about I make it up to you? I'll do all the work next time." House waggled his eyebrows. Cuddy smiled.

"Oh … believe me, you will."

In a huffy voice, House responded, "There's that administrator tone again."

Cuddy smirked. "I can speak to you however I like. How many times a week do I need to remind you that I'm your boss?"

"You're not the boss in this room."

She sat up. "You wanna bet?"

"What are we betting?" House asked cheerfully.

"Your dignity."

"What's in it for me when I win?"

"You're not going to win, so it doesn't matter."

House shook his finger at Cuddy. "YOU are mistaken, my dear mistress. If I win, I'll be excused from clinic duty when we return to the real world."

"If you win, I'll excuse you from two hours."

"No, you'll excuse me from clinic duty … forever."

Cuddy tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Looking down her nose at House, she quipped, "You'll be excused from clinic duty forever if you make me angry enough to fire you again."

House winced for a brief moment when he recalled their disastrous argument in the hall outside his office earlier that day. Cuddy's face softened when she saw his reaction. She placed her hand on his chest and began rubbing it gently.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to him. He then lifted his head up to hers, at first just gently kissing her top lip. They continued to play with only their lips until Cuddy began sucking on his bottom lip. Her eyes fluttered open playfully. House briefly opened his eyes and saw the mischievous fire in hers. In a flash he flipped them over so that he was on top and pinned Cuddy's arms over her head.

"Who's the boss now?" House challenged.

* * *

"Their heart rates have gone down … and so has … House," Thirteen said awkwardly.

"Why don't you all take a break?" Wilson offered. The ducklings all nodded and left the ICU. Squeezing his eyes shut, Wilson rubbed his hand against his forehead. He then sat in a chair between House and Cuddy's beds.

As he listened to the sound of their ventilators working over the hustle and bustle of the ICU nurses, he shook his head. "What am I going to do with you two?"

Turning to Cuddy, Wilson placed his hand on her shoulder. His chest tightened when he saw the red marks of the airbag marring her beautiful face, and the breathing tube emerging from her normally authoritative lips. "I never should have let you drive him," he said quietly. He paused and hung his head with regret. "I should have known, after everything that has happened recently … I should have put my foot down and driven him to the pysch hospital the other night." He shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Cuddy."

Wilson stood up and approached the other bed slowly. He looked at House's face, the deep lines of which were now accompanied by multiple scrapes and cuts from enduring the superficial wounds of shattered glass. Thinking back to House's most recent hallucination, he knew the shattering of that love story inflicted far deeper wounds within his friend. After a few moments of silence, Wilson cracked. "You idiot!" he whispered angrily at House. Tears began to form in his eyes but he fought them. "Your drug habit nearly killed you, and look at Cuddy!"

Cuddy's ventilator beeped. It then delivered another breath to her.

After a few minutes of silent thought, Wilson pressed the "page nurse" button on House's bed.

A young nurse came running in. "Yes, Dr. Wilson?"

"Go ahead and prepare a hundred milligrams of Narcan IV for rapid detox.."

"Should I page Dr. Foreman?"

"No. I'm the attending for Dr. House and Dr. Cuddy. I will oversee Dr. House's detox. Please page anesthesia. I want to make sure he's as comfortable as possible for this."

* * *

Cuddy was squirming as House began to suck hard on Cuddy's neck.

"Don't you dare," she hissed.

He smiled against her skin as he continued to suck. She tried to free her hands from his grip, but he kept them pinned over her head, not loosening his hold for one second. His smile faded when he felt her right foot against his left groin.

Cuddy began applying pressure, trying to maneuver herself so that she could rotate him over on to his side. House sucked harder on her neck, knowing that he needed to finish his task before she managed to get too much leverage on him.

She stuck her left foot against the inside of House's right knee, careful not to kick him in his scarred thigh. She applied pressure against that knee as she continued to exert an upward force on his left groin. The uncomfortable pressure was becoming too much, and House lost his leverage, rolling on to his side. Cuddy quickly scrambled to get on top of him, but House did not let go of her wrists. Now sitting up, partially on top, she tried to wring her arms free. The force of her motions caused her breasts to shake, and for a moment House was mesmerized, loosening his grip.

Sensing her opportunity, Cuddy yanked her arms away and smirked. She quickly pushed House all the way down on the bed and then sat on his face.

"To answer your previous question, I am still your boss," Cuddy said triumphantly.

House grinned and shifted her lower down on his face so that he could kiss her folds.

"Our boss / employee relationship is definitely working for me right now," House mumbled against her. Cuddy smiled at the vibrations of his voice.

"Really? Then get to work," she said, wiggling her hips.

* * *

Foreman returned to the ICU and saw the anesthesia team by House's side.

"Going back to the OR again? What happened?" he asked Wilson.

"No, he's not going to surgery. I'm going to make him undergo rapid detox since it appears that his hallucinations have been a result of his Vicodin use. We have the anesthesia team on board to monitor him. I don't want him to wake up for any of this."

Foreman nodded his head in agreement. "I think this will be good for him."

Thirteen and Taub entered. "What's going on?" Thirteen asked, mildly alarmed.

"Wilson is going to put House through rapid detox. Hopefully he'll wake up somewhat sane again," Foreman answered. Taub raised his eyebrows. "Or at least back to his baseline of insanity," Foreman added.

"We're ready when you are," the anesthesia attending said.

"Pushing one hundred milligrams of Narcan." Wilson emptied the syringe into House's IV.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the kind feedback!

* * *

Cuddy moaned as she remained perched over House's face, her hands clasped behind her head.

His tongue was swirling inside of her as his thumb attended to her clit. Feeling her tense up as she tried to keep her convulsions at bay, House began rubbing her clit faster. The friction against her nub sent her over the edge: she shook as she felt her walls clenching rhythmically. Yelling out in pleasure, she almost smothered him with the force of her orgasm before collapsing to the side.

Wiping her juices off of his face, House smiled. He kissed her knee tenderly.

"So! Are you going to give me a performance evaluation … boss?"

Cuddy, completely flushed and sporting the new love bite on her neck, smiled back. In a raspy voice, she said playfully, "Excellent work, Dr. House. But I may need to re-evaluate soon."

House nudged her leg with this nose. "Soon, as in right now?"

She let out a throaty laugh. She felt House's hands clamp down hard on her lower leg.

"Ow!" she said, trying to see what he was up to.

House began breathing rapidly. He let go of her leg and rolled over, clutching the bedspread as he did so. Cuddy sat up in alarm.

"House, are you alright?"

His rapid breathing continued.

"House?" Cuddy crawled closer to him and began rubbing his shoulder.

"I … feel nauseous. And the pain …"

She stroked his head gently and scanned the room for a bathroom or a sink but didn't find anything useful.

He had curled up into fetal position. Cuddy wrapped her arms around him and kissed his shoulder.

"If we were dead, you wouldn't feel any pain," she whispered. "So we're definitely alive in the real world. Do you think you're undergoing detox right now?"

House slowly nodded his head yes. "Sure as hell feels like it."

* * *

"You know he's not going to stay clean when he wakes up," Taub said to Foreman and Thirteen.

"Who knows? Given how weird he has been lately, maybe he'll honestly try this time," Foreman offered, looking once again at an unconscious House.

Thirteen looked surprised. "Do you really believe that?"

"He's a stubborn bastard, but …" Foreman trailed off, suddenly overwhelmed within his stoic frame.

Wilson sighed. "He's different now."

"Does this have something to do with you hovering over our team last week?" Taub asked suspiciously.

Wilson nodded.

"What's been going on?" Taub asked. The ducklings all looked at Wilson intently.

"House was having hallucinations, of Amber, and now Cuddy. He was on his way to Mayfield when this accident happened."

They looked at each other in shock. A few moments of silence passed. "Wow," Taub said softly with his eyebrows raised.

"I want to tell Cameron and Chase, but they're off on their honeymoon now," Foreman said. "I don't want to ruin their trip with this news."

Taub shook his head. "No, don't call them. Trust me, a newly wed wife wants her honeymoon."

He paused before he began again hesitantly. "So … even if House does pull through, he may not even be able to practice medicine."

"Let's just take everything one step at a time," Wilson offered.

"How is he really going to continue to detox when he wakes up in pain from the accident itself?" Thirteen asked. "We give all our trauma patients IV morphine."

"Maybe we'll try the ketamine again," Wilson replied.

"No, ketamine is associated with hallucinations. It's too risky given his current condition," Foreman countered.

Taub walked over to Cuddy's bed and checked her monitor. He then looked at her, noticing a new reddish-purple lesion on her neck. "Hey, was this here before?"

Thirteen looked at Cuddy's neck. "I'm not sure. I didn't think so."

* * *

"Let me see your neck," House said, still curled up on his side.

"I'm holding you right now," Cuddy mumbled into his ear.

"I want to see it." House's breathing became more labored.

"Why?"

House responded between audible breaths: "Are you going to deny … a man in enormous pain … the pleasure of seeing his own handiwork?"

"Detox obviously hasn't dampened your sense of humor," Cuddy responded softly.

"It'll take my mind off the pain for a little while."

Cuddy instantly felt guilty and acquiesced, showing him the love bite.

"Yep, that's … a beauty."

Cuddy rolled her eyes but placed a comforting hand on his arm anyway. "Are you going to vomit? Do you even have anything in your stomach to vomit?"

House shook his head no. His breathing became more regular as his nausea temporarily subsided.

"The funny thing about rooms like these is that we conveniently are never hungry, never need to pee … so I highly doubt I'll have anything coming up," House said slowly.

"Have you been in a room like this before?" she asked skeptically.

"I've been on a white bus before, … with Amber."

"Is that where you've been seeing her?"

"No. I was on that bus when I was in the ICU, after I told Wilson …" House trailed off.

"That Amber had taken Amantadine," Cuddy finished quietly. She snaked her arms around him again.

A minute of silence passed.

"I bet we're in that same ICU now. Wilson is probably pulling his hair out," he muttered.

Cuddy smiled against the back of his neck. "I'm sure he's there."

House groaned as a new wave of nausea hit him, causing him to dry heave. Cuddy sat up and began rubbing his back. She noticed goosebumps on his arms and threw his robe over him. She put her robe back on as well.

"Noooo, what are you doing?" House asked brusquely. "Don't cover up!"

Cuddy gave him a quick kiss on his jawline and wrapped her arm around him again, pressing her robed body against his. "You'll see everything again soon. Think of it as a prize for getting through the worst of the detox."

House tried to turn to look at Cuddy but succumbed to the nausea. "You're mean."

"Maybe I am."

"You've always had a mean streak."

Cuddy laughed quietly. "If I were truly mean, I would have turned you in for cheating off of me in Michigan."

House inhaled sharply and rubbed his right thigh. "During that endocrine seminar? .... You weren't really in that class."

"Okay … what are you talking about? We sat near each other."

"You couldn't have been enrolled in that class as an undergrad. The med school wouldn't have allowed it." A sharp pain ripped through his right leg, causing him to grunt.

Cuddy squeezed him more tightly. "Well, you got me there. I was only auditing it."

A surge of excitement coursed through his body as he was beginning to realize that his recent hallucination of Cuddy was still based on some inklings of truth. "Why did you audit it?"

She sighed. "Because I really like endocrinology."

"If you really liked endocrinology you would have been shadowing an endocrinologist, which would have been far more interesting and beneficial to your med school application than a boring seminar."

"It wasn't boring."

"You didn't have any good reason to take it, unless something else or someone else drew you there."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Admit it: you had the hots for me then, and you still have the hots for me now."

Cuddy lifted her head from her pillow. "You think I audited a graduate level course just to be near you?"

"Why else would you subject yourself to the droning of Fitzsimmons?"

"Wilson was right. People _could_ build monuments to your narcissism." Cuddy rested her head again and gave House a playful squeeze.

"Wilson is an idiot."

"Wilson is your best friend."

"They're not mutually exclusive." House paused as he reflected on Wilson's loyalty to him, despite everything he has put him through. He quickly blocked those thoughts as he continued, "He's also an idiot for somehow managing to make me feel so much pain and nausea right now."

"You're doing great." Cuddy kissed the back of his neck.

"One of the benefits of being unconscious in the real world is being pain free. But this level of pain that I feel here, in this room, can only mean that he's put me in rapid detox."

"Maybe that's a good thing. The faster you clear your system, the sooner you'll stop hallucinating." Cuddy moved her arm up and began massaging his shoulder. Temporarily distracted from his pain, he tried probing her again.

"So tell me. Why did really you audit that class?"

"I really audited that class because … I really was interested in endocrinology."

House closed his eyes and remained silent in his disappointment.

"After I decided to audit the class, I heard you were also taking it, and I definitely wanted to meet you. You seemed … intriguing to me," Cuddy added. House opened his eyes again. "You were a legend on campus. An absurd, genius lunatic."

"A lunatic who got all the ladies," House added with the faintest smile on his lips.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and stopped massaging his shoulder. She threw her arm over him again and buried her face in his upper back.

"I got you not too long after that class was over," House said, his smile growing a bit wider.

"Yeah, for one night."

"That night got me hired."

"We've already had this conversation. No one else would hire you, so I picked you up on the cheap."

"You also told me in that conversation that this ship had sailed a long time ago. Clearly it hasn't."

"So it came back. What's your point?"

"You lied about not wanting me, so that increases the chance that you lied about why you hired me."

"If I hired you because of one night of great sex, I would have hopped into bed not too long after you started. But I didn't. Ergo …"

"You thought it was great?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes.

"I can feel you rolling your eyes, you know."

"Are you always this annoying when you detox?"

"I'm always this annoying in general. You'll soon find out when we move in together."

"That's presumptuous of you."

Another strong wave of nausea hit House. His breathing became irregular again. Cuddy began rubbing his arm.

"Cuddy, don't let go of me. Please."

"I won't." She kissed his neck and wrapped her arm tightly around him again.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad I'm keeping people entertained while we all are trying to get through our own House-withdrawal. This chapter is more intense, but please be patient. The next one will be a bit lighter.

To address LazyCatfish27's comment: The visible love bite in the real world is meant to add an element of magic to House and Cuddy's experience in that room. It's not really supposed to make sense in terms of plausibility, but it will re-appear in a later chapter.

* * *

The next day, Wilson walked to the ICU, a cup of black coffee in hand. Dark circles had formed under his eyes from a sleepless night, and he was walking with his shoulders slumped. When he approached the nurse's station, he checked the clock. 5 p.m.

He took a sip from his paper cup. Looking through the glass doors, he watched as two nurses tended to House and Cuddy, who remained unconscious and ventilated in neighboring beds.

"Any changes?" Wilson asked Foreman, who was sitting at a computer.

"No, House's heart rate and blood pressures have been somewhat elevated, which is not unexpected given the stress of rapid detox. Cuddy has been hemodynamically stable, and her lungs seem to be clearing a bit. The intensivists have been weaning the vent settings for both of them."

Wilson nodded his head. "It's been twenty-four hours since we started the rapid detox. I think it's time to decrease House's sedation."

* * *

"You seem to be feeling better," Cuddy remarked, lying next to House on the bed.

"The nausea is gone, but the pain is still a bitch," House said with his right hand on his forehead.

Cuddy squeezed his left hand. "You've been a trooper. I think you're doing great."

House turned his head to look at Cuddy, her dark locks spilling elegantly on to her pillow. A small mischievous smile took over the corners of his lips. "I'm ready for my prize."

Cuddy tried to suppress a chuckle. "What prize?"

"Oh, don't give me that. You promised me the glory of your naked body when I got through the worst of the detox."

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked.

"Let me see the girls," House responded impatiently. "A promise is a promise."

Cuddy smirked as she sat up and loosened her robe, letting it fall off of her shoulders. She turned around and gave House a shy smile, briefly avoiding his hungry gaze as his eyes beheld her supple breasts and pink nipples.

House continued to stare unabashedly. "Detox has definitely been worth this sight."

"If I had known that my breasts were such an incentive for getting clean, I would have flashed you long ago," Cuddy joked, practically purring at him.

House's eyes widened. "Seriously?!"

She leaned down to give him a quick kiss on the lips. With her head hovering over his, she added, "I didn't know they held so much power over you."

House cupped her breasts in his hands, admiring their weight and fullness. He lifted his head to capture Cuddy's lips with his own, and then he pulled her down on top of him. Holding her in a tight embrace, he deepened their kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. She playfully slid her tongue along the side of his.

His right hand ran up and down Cuddy's back before it traveled down to her ass to give it a light squeeze. As they continued to kiss, she opened her legs a bit in response. House quickly rolled them over so that he was on top. When he tried to put some weight on his knees he collapsed from the pain, crushing Cuddy with his weight. Embarrassed, he broke their kiss and tried to roll off of her. Cuddy held on to him tightly with her arms and legs, not letting him move.

House did not want to admit that his right thigh was going to prevent him from performing. He buried his head in Cuddy's neck, not wanting her to see the pain in his eyes.

Sensing this shift of emotion, Cuddy kissed his neck and whispered, "I love feeling you this close to me."

After a minute of kissing his neck and shoulder, she gently rolled them over, and she sat up, straddling him.

House's hands snaked up to Cuddy's breasts again and caressed them. Frustrated from his pain, he carried a hint of sadness in his eyes as he looked up apologetically at her. She grabbed his hands and pulled him upright so that they were sitting face to face.

Still straddling him, she reached down to his cock and began stroking it while she looked deeply into his eyes to communicate how much she wanted him. When she felt him hard and ready, she slipped on top of him, taking as much of his cock into her as she could. She parted her lips and exhaled a soft moan at the sensation of him filling her. House grabbed her ass cheeks and let a pinky tease the outside of her anus. Cuddy grabbed his head roughly and kissed him passionately as she began moving up and down on his shaft.

* * *

"There they go again," Foreman said shaking his head. Thirteen was secretly smiling to herself.

Taub looked through the glass surrounding the ICU and saw that House had pitched a tent, and that both he and Cuddy were having elevated heart rates.

"This can't really be happening," Taub muttered.

Wilson ran his hands through his hair and sighed. Embarrassed, he mumbled, "Let's let them … finish … or have House calm down ... before we wean the sedation. I wouldn't want him to wake up in the ICU like that."

* * *

House's right hand moved from her ass back up to her left breast. He gave it a rough squeeze before running her hard nipple between his index finger and thumb. Cuddy inhaled sharply while her mouth was still connected to his. He broke their kiss and immediately took her neck in his mouth and began sucking and kissing it. Her left hand clutched on to his hair as he did this while her right hand roamed all over his back. She kissed his temple and roughly brought his head back up to hers. She ran her tongue along the inside of his bottom lip before having it invade his mouth for another deep kiss.

House and Cuddy moved quickly in unison, the fire between them obliterating the pain in his leg. As they tried to move faster and faster, she pushed him down on to the bed so that she could ride him. He grabbed on to her thighs and watched her slam herself on top of him over and over again. When he felt her walls begin to tighten, he reached to her clit and rubbed it mercilessly, sending her over the edge to cry out his name. The sound of her passion caused him to lose control, and he came inside of her as she rode out the last waves of her orgasm.

After a few moments, Cuddy leaned down to kiss House softly on the lips. She lifted herself off of him, letting him fall out of her before she lay down next to him. He drew her closer to him and kissed her forehead.

"You know, we could do this all the time when we move in together," House said a bit cheerfully. "Of course we would have to get back to the real world first, but …"

"You're awfully persistent," Cuddy replied in a teasing tone.

"It's the next logical step." He planted a soft kiss near her eyelid.

Cuddy propped herself up on her elbow and looked at House amused. "Since when has the next logical step for sex in this non-existent room been moving in together?"

"Mmmmm … I don't see your point," he said with a hint of humor in his voice. He planted another soft kiss on her nose.

"You really want to move in with Rachel and me."

"I want to move in with YOU, and I'll tolerate the kid as long as you and I get to play in the squish bin everyday." He tickled Cuddy's side, causing her to shriek with laughter.

"Oh my God, stop!"

House smirked. "I've always known that you think highly of me, Cuddy. But as much as I would like to believe that I am a deity …"

"Shut up." Cuddy silenced him with her mouth. He returned her kiss with two of his own.

"So I was thinking I should move into your place since it's bigger. I'll have to figure out where to put the piano."

Cuddy smiled and shook her head.

* * *

"We stopped the Fentanyl. Dr. House should be waking up soon," the nurse said.

"Thank you," Wilson replied. He took a seat between House and Cuddy.

Time was passing slowly. He looked up at the clock. 6:37 pm.

Foreman entered the ICU. "No changes?" Foreman asked.

"He's off sedation now. I'm just waiting to see if he'll wake up," Wilson said.

House's ventilator beeped.

"He's fighting the vent. House? House! Open your eyes! Open your eyes if you can hear me," Foreman shouted as he ran to his bed.

House's eyes barely opened as he struggled against the breathing tube and the ventilator.

"I think it's time to extubate him," Wilson said excitedly.

* * *

Cuddy lay back down on the bed and rolled on to her back. She and House lay there side by side, smiling to themselves.

"I can't believe we're going to do this," Cuddy said, staring up at the pristine ceiling.

"Believe it. You're going to have guitars, Bourbon, and a kickass sound system invading your house," House replied. He clasped his hands behind his head.

"I still can't believe it."

"I'm going to add 'Prescription Passion,' re-runs of 'The L Word,' and 'The Hills' to your Tivo." He looked over to see Cuddy rolling her eyes. "I can't get enough of Speidi," he said sarcastically.

"And I can't believe you actually watch those shows. They're terrible," she said, still smiling.

"Blasphemy!"

Cuddy looked over at House for a second and saw that his eyes were smiling. Taking an audible breath, she turned back to look at the ceiling. "What other living quirks do you have? You're not going to bring over any porn, and don't even think about hiring a prostitute for a threesome."

Cuddy's remarks were met with silence. She turned her head and saw that House was gone.

* * *

House opened his eyes. He began coughing against the tube in his throat.

"He's awake! Pull the tube!" Wilson shouted.

House was heaving as he coughed out the tube Foreman was pulling. He continued to cough as he gasped for air. Thirteen readjusted the bed so that he could sit up more.

"House! You're in the ICU. You've been in a car accident," Wilson said as calmly as he could.

"Cuddy … where's Cuddy?" House asked hoarsely.

"Cuddy is right there," Foreman pointed to the next bed over. "She was in the accident too, but she's been hanging in there."

"Cuddy …" House repeated hoarsely. He tried to climb out of bed, but the nurses and Wilson pushed him back.

"House, you need to rest. Your body has been through a lot. Before you woke up, you were undergoing rapid detox," Wilson said.

"I know."

"How did you know …"

"I could feel it. How bad is it?" House asked, nodding towards Cuddy.

"She had cardiac tamponade from the trauma, but that's resolved. She is also recovering from ARDS secondary to trauma, which is why she's still on the vent. She's not on sedation, so we're waiting for her to wake up," Foreman said.

"I want to see her," House said, slightly gasping.

"She's right there," Taub responded.

"No, I need to be near her," House insisted. He tried to move again. Thirteen pushed his shoulders against the bed.

"House, listen to us. You have just been through a lot. Cuddy is right there. Once you've been stable off the vent for a little while, we'll help you over to her bed so that you can hold her hand," Thirteen said calmly but emphatically.

House nodded.

* * *

"House? House, where did you go?" Cuddy called out to the empty room.

She threw her robe on and checked under the bed. No House. She walked around the living area, looking for a door.

Seeing that there was no escape from the room, she sat down on the couch in stunned silence. Panic seized her as she realized that she was trapped in another dimension alone.

She began breathing rapidly and clutched her robe. The uncertainty of House's fate overwhelmed her: she did not know if he had returned to the real world, if he had passed on, or if his spirit had ceased to exist because the life from his body was extinguished as well.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she started to feel faint. She allowed her body to drop against the sofa cushions as the room started to fade from her vision.

* * *

The alarm from Cuddy's monitor went off. The repetitive rhythm of the low bell signaled that her heart was in distress.

"Call the code!" Foreman shouted. "She's in V Fib. Get the crash cart!"

"Cuddy!" House yelled.

"Nurse, please restrain him," Wilson said as he flew to Cuddy's bed.

"Cuddy!" House continued to yell, swatting away the nurse.

"Okay, two hundred joules, charging. Everyone, clear!" Foreman yelled as he placed the paddles on Cuddy's chest.

He pressed the paddle buttons and delivered a shock. The monitor showed no changes.

"No change. Three hundred joules, charging. Clear!" Foreman yelled.

"Cuddy!" House screamed. He managed to get out of his bed. Taub and Wilson held him back as he continued to scream. "Cuddy!!"

"No change. Three hundred and sixty joules, charging. Clear!" Foreman yelled.

The paddles went off. The monitor still showed no changes. Thirteen began chest compressions.

"Get the epi and amio ready. We need one milligram epi right now!" Foreman said.

"Already on it," Taub responded quickly as he pushed the epinephrine into Cuddy's IV.

"Cuddy … " House said weakly as he held on to Wilson, his pain overwhelming him. Wilson helped him back to his bed.

"We're doing everything we can, House," Wilson said quietly.

"Three hundred and sixty joules, charging. Clear!" Foreman shouted. Thirteen jumped back. The paddles went off.

* * *

Cuddy felt weak. When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on a familiar park bench in the summertime. Green trees lined a small pond, in which ducks were swimming. Next to her she saw a younger version of herself sitting with a younger version of House. She tried to open her mouth to speak but couldn't. Instead she listened in on their conversation. They did not seem to know she was there.

"_So … I'm starting internship in a month," the young House said, looking intently at her college-aged self._

"_Yes, I know. You must be excited."_

"_Working a hundred hours a week in a hospital? Hardly. But I'll figure out a way to get out of some of those hours. Feinstein has too much going on to notice."_

"_I'm sure you'll figure out some way to get in trouble."_

"_Getting in trouble would be worth some more nights with you." House gave her a mischievous smile as he tried to touch her chin. She scoffed and turned away to look at the pond._

"_Don't be ridiculous, House."_

"_The other night …"_

"_Look, the other night we were in a celebratory mood after the final. We had too much to drink. I don't regret it because it was fun, but … you and I know it's not going anywhere." She continued to look at the pond._

_For a few seconds, the young House looked visibly upset. He opened his mouth and shut it again._

:: "Look at him," Cuddy pleaded with her younger self. ::

_House quickly recovered. His face bore no emotion on it. Cuddy turned to look at him, seeing a stoic expression. She turned away again._

"_I don't regret it either. All semester I was wondering what was underneath your sweater."  
_

"_You're an ass." Her younger self was trying to hide the disappointment in her face._

"_A cute ass all the ladies love to flirt with," he said, almost cruelly.  
_

_She turned to look at him. "You're so egotistical it's annoying."_

"_All the ladies love it."_

_She sighed and shook her head. "Good luck with internship, House. I'm sure I'll hear about all your famous stunts and exploits." She stood up. "Maybe I'll see you around." _

_She left. House sat on the bench and stared after her, brooding. _

:: Cuddy inhaled sharply. Still feeling weak, she closed her eyes. ::

* * *

"She's back!" Foreman announced. "Sinus rhythm, and we have a strong pulse."

Taub, Thirteen, and the nursing staff began cleaning up the area around Cuddy's bed. House tried to get up again.

"House, Cuddy's fine. We need you to rest," Wilson said quietly.

"She is NOT fine. She just coded, and she's still intubated," House responded bitterly.

"I know. I know," Wilson ran his hand across his forehead. It had been a long day. "I'll get a nurse to take out your Foley. After that, you can go be by her side."

"Thank you," House whispered gratefully at his friend.


	5. Chapter 5

Cuddy opened her eyes again. She looked around and saw that she was sitting in what, at first glance, appeared to be a replica of her office. On closer inspection, she noticed that with the exception of her desk, every piece of furniture was gray. She also noticed that the books on her shelves lacked titles, standing in as hollow shapes rather than tomes of medical knowledge. She attempted to turn on the computer but found it nonfunctional.

She leaned back against her chair. Its familiar contour, once supportive and comfortable, now felt strange to her. She sat completely still for a few moments, half expecting House to barge in, asking for permission to perform a radical test or procedure. As she stared at the door, she could not help but notice the absolute silence permeating the office, broken only by the sound of her breathing.

Not feeling faint anymore, she rose from the chair and attempted to open the blinds. They were sealed shut. Wrapping her robe around herself more tightly, she walked to the front of her office and attempted to open the door. The knob would not turn.

She began hitting the door with the palm of her hand. "Hello?! Can someone hear me? House!" She continued to hit the door and call out for help. After a minute, she stopped and tried to take a few deep breaths.

She walked to the couch and sat down. Scanning the room with her eyes, she found the familiar layout to be completely cold and empty. This space, where she had spent the majority of her wildly successful career, suddenly became devoid of meaning.

"I don't want to be here," she whispered to herself. "Please, House, where are you?"

* * *

House held Cuddy close as he tried to block out the loud drone of the hospital. He was settled in on her right side, his right arm draped over her abdomen possessively. After much argument with the ICU staff and with Wilson, he had convinced everyone his occupation of her bed would help her more than harm her.

"I'm here," he declared quietly into her ear. He caressed her left arm with his thumb.

"I was thinking of putting the piano by the fireplace," he continued softly, his voice almost cracking. His eyes glistened with tears as he tried to talk about their future, his words sounding hollow against the monotonous pumping of the ventilator.

"You're trying to make the story real. Good for you."

House turned his head with some trepidation.

Kutner, dressed in a graphic tee and jeans, was resting comfortably at the foot of Cuddy's hospital bed.

"You shouldn't be here. I went through rapid detox …"

"Don't worry, House. I won't be here for long. Your brain is healing."

House threw his head back down against the bed. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Closing your eyes isn't going to make me go away faster. Besides, it's better that I'm here instead of Amber." Kutner took a candy bar out of his pocket and unwrapped it.

"True," House said, opening his eyes again.

"She had great legs, but dude, sometimes she was evil," Kutner said, his mouth full with chocolate, nougat, and caramel.

House grunted in agreement. He looked longingly at Cuddy.

"We all knew you and Cuddy had a thing for each other," Kutner said smiling. "I don't blame you for liking her. She's hot and sassy. If I had a death wish, I would have asked her out."

House's eyes narrowed as he turned to look at him again.

"Bad joke, sorry," Kutner added with a faint smile still on his lips. He took another bite of his candy bar.

"So what is this, my brain wanting closure?" House asked in a biting tone.

"It is what it is. You miss me. And you want to know why I did it."

"Why did you do it?" House looked at Kutner, his eyes bright with the fire of curiosity.

"It's a mystery to you. One that you will never be able to solve. It is what I had to do for myself. You will never understand it because you are wired differently. And it's okay not to understand."

"No, it's not."

"You don't think it's okay because you devote your life to finding answers. You try to replace the pain in your life with the satisfaction of being right. You hide in the puzzles. But look at what's happened. Your brain, the one thing you have relied on all your life ... has finally failed you."

Silence.

"To help you, I'm not going to tell you why I did it. Think of this as a wake-up call. You consciously define yourself by your intellect, and maybe it's time to re-define yourself."

"I'm not having a midlife crisis," he responded bitterly.

"Uh, yeah, you kind of are, House. You are lost without your mojo. You have no idea who you are right now. By definition, that's a crisis."

"And how is this badgering supposed to help?" House asked in a combative voice.

"You can pull yourself out of this by listening to another side of yourself. Here's a question for you. Every day that you're in pain you choose life over death: why do you do that?"

"Because living in misery is marginally better than dying in misery."

"That's what you think, but why?"

"If I'm alive, I can solve another puzzle."

"One puzzle isn't really worth more than another puzzle. You've spent years solving medical mysteries. You've already proven to yourself you can solve them. There must be something else driving you to live. You must have hope for something else."

"Didn't I ever tell you that hope is for sissies?" House asked derisively.

"Are you calling yourself a sissy?" Kutner countered.

House rolled his eyes. "Amber wasn't this annoying. Maybe you two should switch places now."

"I'm not giving up." Kutner took another bite of his candy bar. "You choose life because you have hope, even if it's a tiny hope, that maybe one day you'll redeem yourself and find happiness."

"And you didn't have any hope?"

"You're not getting the point. This isn't about me. Stop trying to figure out why I did it."

House groaned in frustration.

"Happiness is lying right next to you." Kutner nodded towards Cuddy.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm already trying to start something with her, so really this talk is pointless. You weren't always the quickest on the pick-up."

Kutner ignored the insult and continued, "You may be trying to start something with Cuddy, but eventually you always hurt the people closest to you by not believing in them. When you stop believing in them, you throw up your walls and push them away. Like you did with Stacey."

"How do you know about Stacey?"

"I'm part of your brain, remember?"

House sighed. "She betrayed my trust."

"She did what she thought was best for you. You refused to forgive her because her decision hurt you. You then perpetuated the hurt by driving her away. When she came back into your life, you pushed her away again to avoid getting hurt for a third time, but you ended up in pain anyway."

"Thanks for the summary of my love life," House muttered sarcastically. "What's your point?"

"My point is that you need to have a little faith in other people, and in the possibility of things actually working out."

"Seriously?"

"I'm dead serious," Kutner said with a smile, causing House to roll his eyes. "Sorry, another bad joke. You have another chance at love now. Don't screw it up."

House confessed quietly, "I don't know if I deserve her."

"After everything you've been through, she's still by your side. She still thinks you're worth saving. Let her decide if you deserve her. Just try your best to make things work."

"And if they don't work?"

"It's not the law of the universe that happy endings exist only in fairy tales. You have your own free will. You get to choose your own ending. My ending was different, but that was the ending I chose for myself. It had nothing to do with you."

House nodded quietly.

Kutner finished the candy bar and placed the wrapper back in his pocket. He added, "It's time for me to leave. Go easy on the Vicodin. Your mojo will return eventually." He got up from the bed. "I do hope your piano will fit in her living room."

House sat up and saw Amber on the other side of the glass. She motioned for Kutner to follow her. "Goodbye, House. Take care of yourself," Kutner said with a small smile.

"Goodbye, Kutner."

Kutner joined Amber on the other side of the glass, and they walked away.

* * *

"House is talking to himself," Taub said with concern in his voice. "I don't think the detox worked."

"Give him time," Foreman said. He looked at Thirteen, who had been unusually quiet over the past thirty six hours. The shock of House's deterioration, a reminder of her imminent mortality, hit her hard. Foreman placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Go home, you guys. I'll monitor them tonight," Taub said, noticing Foreman's concern about Thirteen. "I'll see you in the morning."

Foreman and Thirteen nodded. Taub turned back to look at House and Cuddy through the glass. He saw House kiss her cheek. Taub smiled to himself as he walked away to get a cup of coffee for the evening.

* * *

Still sitting on her office couch, Cuddy brought her hand to her right cheek. A feeling of warmth coursed through her body, giving her a jolt of energy. She walked back over to the replica of her desk. The black and brown finish stood out against the gray of the room.

She ran her fingers along the edge of it, allowing them to wander along the underside of the top piece. As she approached the side opposite to her chair, she felt a strip of cool metal disrupting the texture of the wood. Getting down on her knees, she looked up and saw a shiny brass plate that said, "Twenty years later is better than never."

Her mouth dropped in surprise.

"I'm glad you finally noticed," House said, standing behind her. She turned around quickly. Unable to suppress her sudden happiness, she ran to him.

* * *

"House? House, wake up," Taub said loudly. He rubbed his sternum. No response. "What happened?" Taub asked a nurse.

"He got up from Dr. Cuddy's bed and collapsed. His blood pressure was low but is slowly climbing now."

"Orthostatic hypotension," Taub muttered to himself, shaking his head. "I leave for one minute and look at what ..."

* * *

"You're back. I didn't know what happened …" Cuddy said, crushing her body against House's in a tight embrace. House planted multiple kisses on her forehead and cheek.

He closed his eyes as he pressed his head against hers. Speaking softly into her ear, he said, "I woke up in the ICU. We're next to each other in there. I think I passed out again when I tried to get up."

"So you're okay. Thank God." Cuddy pressed her lips against his tenderly and smiled. He held her head in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Cuddy, you need to fight. I don't want to go back there without you."

Her smile faded. "How bad is it?"

"You're on a vent without sedation, and you haven't woken up. Your lungs are clearing though, so if you do wake up you may be able to breathe on your own." House kissed her lips. "You need to fight."

Cuddy nodded her head, her eyes filled with tears. Resting his forehead against hers, he tried to smile. "Why are we in your office? What happened to the other room with the bed?"

"I have no idea," she replied with a small laugh and buried her face against House's chest. After a few moments of silence, Cuddy said quietly, "I never thanked you for the desk. It was very thoughtful of you." She gave him another soft kiss on the lips and threw her arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

Smiling against her hair, he said, "I have some ideas for how you can really thank me for the desk."

"Oh, do you now?" she purred.

Feeling the room shift, he quickly kissed her right cheek again and said frantically as he felt himself fading, "Come back with me!"

* * *

House opened his eyes and saw Wilson towering over him. "You're not getting out of bed again," Wilson said admonishingly.

"Cuddy …" House whispered hoarsely.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah you want to be with Cuddy. Do you know how lucky you are …"

"How is she?" House asked with effort.

Cuddy's ventilator started to beep. "She's fighting the vent!" Taub shouted. He ran to her bedside. "Dr. Cuddy, open your eyes if you can hear me. Open your eyes!"

Wilson also ran to her bed.

Relief washed over House's body. He tried to sit up but felt dizzy and was forced to lie back down. "Cuddy!!" he yelled.

Cuddy's eyelids began to flutter. She finally opened her eyes slowly and started to cough against the breathing tube. Taub unhooked her from the vent.

"Let's extubate her," Wilson said to the nurses.

Cuddy reached out and grabbed Wilson's hand.

"You're okay, Lisa. Are you in pain?" he asked with concern in his eyes.

She shook her head no and squeezed his hand.

"You're going to be fine."

She squeezed his hand harder. Finally understanding what she was trying to ask, he said, "House is fine. He's right there. Let's get this tube out of you first before you see him."

She closed her eyes in relief and squeezed Wilson's hand once more.

"You're welcome," he said kindly.


	6. Chapter 6

I apologize for the delay in updating. Mercury has truly been in retrograde for me these past couple of weeks. Thanks for the reviews for Chapter 5. There will be one more chapter after this one.

* * *

"You fought," House said quietly. He was sitting next to Cuddy's ICU bed in the same chair Cuddy had sat in one year earlier, the same chair she had slept in as she held his hand throughout his recovery.

"I came back with you," Cuddy replied with a small smile.

"So you do remember what happened after the accident."

Cuddy turned her head slowly to look at House. His piercing blue eyes were trying to read hers.

"I do."

House breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at the floor. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"What are you smiling about?" Cuddy asked gently. House continued to smile to himself for a few more seconds before responding.

"That random room, the replica of your office … for the first time in days I'm not actually crazy for believing it all happened." He paused and squeezed Cuddy's hand. "Unless of course you're just as crazy as I am."

"You think I need to go to Mayfield too?" she joked.

"Let's only go if they allow conjugal visits between patients." He squeezed her hand again as she chuckled.

"I still don't understand what was going on … were we in some sort of spirit world ..."

House inhaled audibly and let out a long sigh. "An old friend told me it's okay not to understand everything."

Cuddy propped herself up on her elbow as she tried to study House's face. "That's it? You're not going to berate me with your atheist logic for even thinking that a spirit world exists?" she asked, somewhat surprised.

"I don't know what was going on. I'm just glad it happened," he said quietly.

"That's … new … and different for you."

"Cuddy, I …" House stopped speaking, but his eyes continued to convey the current of emotion running through him at that very moment. She saw his vulnerability and brought his hand to her mouth, her eyes fluttering shut as she let her lips linger against his knuckles.

House looked down at the floor. "You were right, Cuddy. Maybe it all happened for a reason."

"And what reason is that?" she mumbled against his hand, which she placed against her cheek.

Before House could answer, Wilson stepped into the ICU and cleared his throat.

"I see that you two are recovering nicely," Wilson said a bit awkwardly.

House looked at him annoyed that his moment with Cuddy was being interrupted.

"Sorry, House. I didn't realize you were, uh …"

"It's fine, James," Cuddy said quickly. "When do we get out of here?"

"Right now, actually. The rest of the board and I have arranged for you to stay in a signature suite in the Mallinkrodt wing," Wilson replied. "Transport is here to take you, Lisa."

"Thank you." Cuddy smiled at House, who was starting to pout.

"When do _I_ get to go to a signature suite?" House asked dejectedly, knowing that he didn't have quite as much clout around the hospital.

"The board did not make arrangements for you to have one of those suites, which is not surprising given how much trouble you have caused over the years …"

"I hate bureaucrats."

"But, luckily for you, I have arranged for you to stay in Cuddy's suite with her. There should be plenty of room for two hospital beds in there."

House's face brightened. Cuddy looked at Wilson with a surprised expression. Wilson nodded at both of them in return.

A young man entered the ICU and announced, "We're ready for you, Dr. Cuddy. I'm here to take you to your new room." Cuddy gave House and Wilson one last smile before she was wheeled out of the unit.

Wilson sighed. "Do you know how lucky you both are to have survived that crash?"

House grunted.

Wilson sighed again. "What's going to happen between you two now? She knows about your hallucination …"

"We're going to move in together."

" … Wow … Okay, are you sure that's a good idea right now?"

"You've been trying to play matchmaker with us for the past several months, and NOW you're trying to question whether we should be together?" House looked at his friend with hardened eyes.

"You've been through a lot in the past week or so. I just want to make sure that you're starting things when you're … stable."

"But I want her now," House whined in a childish voice. Wilson rolled his eyes. House looked away as he mumbled in a more serious tone, "I need her."

After a minute of silence, Wilson retrieved a carefully wrapped doughnut from the pocket of his white coat. He broke off a piece and offered it to House, who accepted it silently.

"Go get her, and this time make sure you're on the same page."

House nodded.

* * *

"VIP suite … cool!"

House was smiling to himself as he entered the private room in the Mallinkrodt wing by wheelchair, per hospital policy. His escort handed off his chart to the nurse.

Inspecting the large room, House whistled when he saw the plasma screen TV, refrigerator, and living room area. "It pays off to have friends in high places," he said, nodding his head in approval.

Cuddy was already resting comfortably in her bed. She tried to hide a smile when she heard House enter.

"So! Where am I sleeping?" he asked rather loudly as he got out of the wheelchair.

Cuddy pointed to the hospital bed adjacent to hers.

"Doesn't having two beds defeat the purpose of staying in a private suite? And isn't the purpose of staying in a private suite to do … private things?" House asked mischievously.

Cuddy chuckled. "Do you have a problem with the extra bed in here? If you do, I can have you stay elsewhere in the hospital," she threatened, in her administrator tone.

House limped across the room and crawled into her bed. "No need to do that. I'll be comfortable right here," he said cheerfully.

"House, what are you doing?"

"What?"

"Why are you in my bed?"

"Because I want to sleep with you. Duh."

"This bed is too small for both of us."

"It wouldn't be too small if your ass weren't so big," he quipped.

"Well, my big ass says you can get out of my bed now."

House frowned. "You don't mean that."

"What do you think I mean then?"

House leaned in closer and said, "You want me to stay right here and make love to you." He braced himself to receive an act of physical violence.

"If I did, I wouldn't be telling you to get out of my bed, now would I?" she replied smirking.

"You can't resist me," House said teasingly.

"Oh yes I can."

"Your lips say no, but your nipples say otherwise."

"You're the one who wants me if you're staring at my nipples."

"I always want you."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. He leaned in to kiss her but then stopped short just before reaching her lips. He hesitated, remembering that it had been months since their last physical kiss.

He opened his eyes to read hers. Cuddy stroked his face with her hand, the soft caress of her fingers soothing the scrapes on his skin.

Cuddy closed the gap between them, pressing her lips lightly against his … a tentative kiss that felt so familiar yet more electrifying in this realm. The softness of their lips merging sent a wave of warmth throughout her body.

Hungry for much more, House grabbed the back of her head and covered her mouth with his. He forced her lips open with his tongue. She inhaled deeply through her nose before she advanced her tongue against his, trying to taste as much of him as she could. He withdrew his tongue a bit and traced circles on the roof of her mouth, causing her to smile against his lips. She opened her mouth wider to invite his tongue deeper.

On cue his tongue darted in further. Cuddy grabbed his hair roughly, drawing him closer to her. She moaned softly as she felt his erection growing against her leg. House pushed her down on to her back and began grinding his cock against her inner thigh, never breaking their kiss. His right hand roamed up her side, causing her to flinch. She pushed against him, signaling to stop.

House broke away and looked down at Cuddy, who was wincing in pain. She cradled his head in her hands and looked at him apologetically. "I don't think I can do this quite yet. My ribs really hurt from the accident," she explained.

House nodded and dropped back down on to his side, giving her a soft kiss on the lips. He then took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. Cuddy smiled as she watched him tend to her fingers.

He looked up at her, feeling a surge of happiness knowing that she has accepted his affection. His eyes wandered to her neck, where she was sporting the remnants of a lesion that looked suspiciously like a love bite. He touched it lightly with his index finger.

"We never finished talking about moving in together," Cuddy said sweetly. "You're not still going to Tivo those awful shows …"

"Hey, hey, hey!" House interrupted, his voice going up almost an octave. "Don't knock them until you watch them, " he said feigning seriousness.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling. She scooted herself closer to him so that their bodies were touching. "What else do I need to know about your living habits?" she asked.

"I prefer the right side of the bed."

"That's easy. I prefer the left."

"I require my girlfriends to come to bed wearing only a thong."

"How inconvenient. I usually go to bed in the buff."

Although he knew she was only joking, House was speechless for a few seconds as he tried to imagine her wandering around her house naked. Seeing him staring at her with his mouth slightly open, Cuddy smiled to herself.

"Oh, and I don't know if you heard me say this before you got yanked out of that room, but no prostitutes are allowed in my house," she said sternly. "Don't even think about trying to arrange a threesome."

The image of Cuddy kissing and touching another woman caused House's mouth to open wider. "Are you sure you don't ever want to experiment? Thirteen could come over and please you … she prefers hot brunettes anyway. But Foreman would want to come over and watch, and I don't know …"

"To use your words, I already 'hit that,'" Cuddy snarked. She was trying her best to remain deadpan.

His mouth opened even wider. "You are more perfect than I could have ever imagined."

"Oh, you have no idea," she purred.

Their banter was turning him on again. He looked at Cuddy with lust-filled eyes. She smiled playfully at him. The intensity of his stare caused her clit to twitch with excitement.

"Maybe YOU could please me … gently," Cuddy whispered seductively. She guided House's fingers inside of her and looked at him, eyes drowning in desire.

"Are you sure?"

"The key word is gently."

Feeling her hot wetness coat his fingers, he quickly devoured her mouth with his and began moving his fingers around in circular motions, causing her to moan into his mouth.

He gave her one last kiss on the lips before heading south. Keeping his fingers in place, his mouth attacked her clit, causing her to gasp and moan. As his tongue swirled around her little nub, he made his fingers work faster and more furiously inside of her, applying more pressure to her front wall.

Cuddy's left heel was digging into House's back as she fought to maintain some control. Sensing her close to the edge, he sucked hard on her clit and rubbed his fingers hard and fast against her G-spot. Cuddy screamed into her pillow and grabbed House's hair as she felt her core contract violently.

Her ribs ached from the force of her orgasm, but she did not care. House came back up and nuzzled her neck. She cradled his head in her hands and exhaled into his hair.

"I don't have to Tivo 'The Hills' as long as I can still record 'Prescription Passion,'" House mumbled into Cuddy's neck.

"You can Tivo whatever you want if you repeat that performance every night," Cuddy said huskily.

"Done."

Their lips reunited in another kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

The final chapter. Thanks for the reviews, and thanks for reading!

* * *

Cuddy glanced at her watch. 2:50 pm. She still had ten minutes before a potential benefactor was going to arrive and offer a hefty check to the hospital.

It had been a month since the accident. She was grateful that Wilson had kept an eye on the hospital while she was on sick leave recovering from her injuries. The scrapes on her face were barely visible. Almost everything had returned to normal. Almost everything.

Cuddy smiled to herself as she got out of her office chair and walked to the front of her desk. She let her left hand graze the underside of the top piece until she felt the familiar cool strip of brass. She knew the engraved words by heart.

The phone rang. Cuddy picked up the receiver. "Okay, thanks. Show Mr. Walsh in." She walked back to her chair and sat down with her legs crossed. Her smile was replaced by her game face … business as usual.

* * *

House flung open Wilson's office door and walked to the black couch. Wilson glanced up for a brief moment but continued writing.

"House, aren't you supposed to be babysitting?"

"I left the squirmy leaky thing at Cuddy's. It won't need food or a diaper change for a couple of hours."

Wilson threw down his pen. "House! You can't leave a baby at home alone!"

House rolled his eyes and got up. He walked to the door muttering, "Fine, be a party pooper."

He turned to Wilson and asked in his most snippy, sarcastic tone, "Can't two men just have quality bonding time without annoying little tots coming between them?" Pretending to bat his eyelashes, he added, "I miss you, you know."

Wilson sat in disapproving silence. House walked to the open door and bent down, reaching for something in the hallway. With his cane in one hand and a baby car seat in the other, he turned back around with an annoyed look on his face. "Happy now?" he asked bitterly.

Wilson attempted to suppress a smile. Rachel looked at him with her bright blue eyes, completely oblivious to the irony that a reformed misanthrope was carrying her in her car seat.

House narrowed his eyes and looked down his nose at his friend. He walked to the desk and dumped the car seat on top of Wilson's paperwork. He then walked back to the couch.

"The life of a kept man," Wilson said as he unbuckled Rachel from the seat and picked her up.

In a cheery voice, House responded, "Can't complain! Cuddy has a nicer TV, 800 count sheets, and a well-stocked fridge. She lets me watch whatever I want, including the naughty channels."

Wilson raised an eyebrow.

"She may not continue to let me watch them after this month's bill, but she _should_, with the amount she's saving by not having a nanny around. She also lets me do whatever I want to her in the bedroom. It's one of the perks of being the help."

Wilson tried to focus on the baby.

"You name the fantasy: we've probably done it. Her favorite is having me pretend to be her cabana boy. She bought me this turquoise, or was it teal, sequined banana hammock …"

Wilson shook his head. "Okay, I get it! You two have a lot of sex. Do you have to remind me of this everyday?"

"Jimmy," House muttered under his breath jokingly. "You can't say S-E-X in front of the squirmy thing. I'll get in trouble if it ends up being her first word. Although after we played out the dominatrix fantasy, which really isn't a fantasy because Cuddy is in fact …"

"House!"

"Ruh-roh!" House said as he looked towards the office door.

Standing in the doorway was Cuddy in her black power suit, feigning anger. She gave him her best death glare and turned to Wilson and Rachel.

"How is she?" she cooed as she approached her daughter.

"Great! I'm doing fine! Thanks for asking!" House shouted. Cuddy took her into her arms and smiled. She then walked over to House and perched on the arm of the sofa.

"So what is this? You visit Wilson randomly now? Oh, wait, are you two lonely without me here?" House, putting on a puppy-dog face, asked Cuddy, who was giving Rachel a kiss on the forehead.

"We've always hung out at the hospital. If you hadn't spent the past several years trying to avoid me and clinic duty, you would have known," she quipped.

"How did that meeting go?" Wilson asked rather loudly, not wanting his friends to forget that they were in _his_ office.

"Walsh wrote a check for two hundred and fifty grand. We could definitely use that money for more PCR machines."

"Sure the check won't bounce?" House asked. "If I write you a check for two hundred and fifty G's, will you come home and let out the panty hamster? The check … may bounce, but that's beside the point."

House watched Cuddy hand Rachel back to Wilson and walk saucily towards the door. For a second, she turned around and gave House a come hither look that caused him to swallow hard. She then smirked to herself as she left the two men alone.

"Do you need a moment?" Wilson asked in a mocking tone.

House continued to stare at the doorway.

"House? Helloooo … are you there?"

House shook his head and blinked hard. He then inhaled through his teeth. "Damn that woman."

"She always had you figured out."

"Not always," House protested. Taking a deep breath, he changed the subject. "So! There's a monster truck rally this Friday. I have two VIP passes …"

"Shouldn't you be having a date night with the Mrs.?"

"She's not a Mrs., and every night is a date night, if you know what I mean."

Wilson sighed and put Rachel back in the car seat. "Has Cuddy told you when you're coming back to work?"

"No, she said I would have to be evaluated by a psychiatrist before coming back, so that will be never because shrinks are useless."

"House, you can't avoid work forever."

In a more serious tone, House said, "I passed my psych eval. I'm coming back next week."

Wilson nodded. "It's about time. Foreman is getting cocky."

House smirked to himself as different pranks to play on his team popped into his head.

"Undoubtedly, you're thinking of ways to mess with everyone when you get back."

"Undoubtedly. So! Friday? The Grave Digger will be making an appearance."

"Ooooh! A classic truck! Buy me a turkey leg, and I'm there …"

* * *

Later that evening, soft piano playing filled Cuddy's living room, the notes of Van Morrison in F major warming up the dimly lit space.

Cuddy, dressed comfortably in jeans and a gray ribbed cotton tank top, stood in the archway of her living room holding a glass of wine and a shot of Bourbon. Completely relaxed after putting Rachel to bed, she smiled as she watched House play, witnessing the fire of his soul flowing out through his fingers.

She crossed the room, treading lightly on the wood floor. When she approached the piano, she placed the Bourbon next to the music stand. House looked at her, his eyes smiling as he finished "Have I Told You Lately."

Cuddy took a sip of wine and joined him on the piano bench. He snaked his left arm around her waist and scooted her closer to him.

"That was a very nice rendition of Van Morrison," Cuddy purred in House's ear.

He brought his face close to hers and said, "It's not the only thing my fingers can play." He moved his fingers down to her left hip and began rubbing it suggestively. His right hand began wandering over the piano keys, playing an unfamiliar melody.

Cuddy stuck her face in her glass, pretending to inhale the wine. She loved the game of seduction they engaged in every night.

She fluttered her eyelashes as she turned to look at House. Not wanting their little dance to end too soon, she smiled and asked, "You're not going to touch your Bourbon?"

"I don't need it when I know I'll have plenty to drink from you." His fingers snuck under the waistline of her jeans and played with the delicate fabric of her thong suggestively. He exhaled lightly on to her neck, causing her to close her eyes and bite her bottom lip.

He took the glass of wine from Cuddy and set it down. He then kissed her right shoulder as he began playing the notes from the song on her belly.

Cuddy smiled. She knew she was his favorite instrument.

Her smile grew wider as she remembered that he had also played a song on her abdomen the morning after their first night together twenty years earlier. Her bliss was short-lived; the flashback of their awkward conversation in the park soon after that night invaded her mind. She turned to look at House, studying the lines on his face that had appeared between that moment in time and now.

Sensing her shift in mood, House looked up at Cuddy. Her eyes were filled with emotion.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"Nothing," she replied, smiling weakly. "Now where were we?" She brought her lips close to his.

House grabbed her face with his hands and stopped her from kissing him. He looked deeply into her eyes, asking her to talk. Her eyes responded with hesitation. She tried to break away from his gaze, but she couldn't move her head. Instead, she closed her eyes.

Sensing Cuddy retreating into herself, he pressed her against him and stroked her hair. She wrapped her arms around him in turn and exhaled against his shoulder.

"Is this about the accident?" he asked quietly.

She pulled away to look at him. "Not exactly." House waited for her to continue. "I'm sorry I pushed you away back in the day."

Confusion overtook House's face.

"I pushed you away the summer after our endocrinology seminar. I thought you were a player. I didn't want to get hurt."

House tried his best to smirk and said, "I don't blame you. All the ladies loved me back then."

Cuddy shook her head and looked away. "Let's forget all of this and go to bed. It's getting late." She stood up and reached for her wine glass. House grabbed her hand and pulled her down next to him again. Once again his eyes beseeched hers to talk. Cuddy sighed and acquiesced.

"When I was unconscious in the ICU, I had a flashback to our conversation in the park in Ann Arbor … when I told you that our night together was a mistake. After nearly dying … I couldn't help but wonder how differently our lives would have turned out if I had given you a chance," Cuddy said softly.

House hung his head and replied, "We can't change the past."

Cuddy nodded and looked up at the ceiling. House looked at her and added, "I was an ass back then, so I would have driven you nuts. It wouldn't have ended well."

She turned to look him in the eye. "WERE an ass?" She smiled.

House smirked back. "You're the crazy one to love me for it."

Cuddy rolled her eyes and sighed again. "Maybe I am crazy."

"So you do love me." House's eyes were fiery with mischief.

Realizing she had walked into a trap, Cuddy panicked before regaining her composure. "You're an ass," she said after a brief moment of stunned silence. She smiled at him coquettishly and picked up the glasses. House watched her sashay away as he began to play the same unfamiliar melody on the piano … it was his own serenade to her.

Cuddy returned to the living room after putting the glasses in the kitchen sink. She leaned on the piano, watching House play again. He looked up at her as he played the last notes of the melody.

"That's beautiful. What is it?" Cuddy asked.

"Something I made up." House stood and approached her slowly. "It's your melody."

Cuddy cocked her head to one side and smiled. "My melody?"

House stepped closer to her.

"It's lovely," she added.

"Uh, yeah, it's supposed to be. I wouldn't write an unpleasant one for my girlfriend."

"Oh, so I'm your girlfriend now," Cuddy said teasingly.

"It's only fair, since you do love me and all."

"By that logic, if Wilson or Foreman loved you, you would have them be your significant other."

"Shut up," House growled as he pulled her against his body.

"Is that how you always talk to your girlfriends?"

"Only the ones nicknamed Party Pants."

"Okay, lover, how about we head to bed now."

"You're bossy."

"I AM your boss. How many times do I have to sit on your face to remind you of that fact?"

"Pretty much … everyday. You might have to do it again once we reach the bedroom."

"I think that can be arranged."

"You're the best boss ever."

"I always knew you loved working for me."

"Who wouldn't want to work for someone with your ample cleavage and …"

Cuddy silenced him with a kiss. When their lips parted, House said, "And there's that."

She stepped away with a seductive smile and turned to lead him away from the piano. House grabbed her hand and pulled her to him again. He looked into her eyes and saw what he needed to see. "The feeling is mutual," he said softly.

They both smiled and held hands as they walked, side by side, to the bedroom.

FIN.


End file.
